1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to sporting equipment. More specifically it relates to fishing tackle that facilitates the baiting of a hook.
2. Description of the Prior Art
When going fishing, many fishermen decide to use live bait. Sometimes they use crickets or nightcrawlers and sometimes they use baitfish. Although nightcrawlers are not difficult to catch, crickets and baitfish are notorious for the difficulties that they impose on fishermen. Specifically minnows, chubs, suckers and other baitfish pose the most problems. Similar problems may also be encountered in pet shops when trying to only catch one fish.
Minnows are often sold in two sizes—“small” and “large”. “Small” minnows are smaller than the “large” minnows, but there is no set size from bait shop to bait shop. Similarly, “large” minnows are larger than the “small” minnow size, but again, there is no set size for “large” minnows. Sometimes it is important to fish with “large” minnows and sometimes it is necessary to fish with “small” minnows.
The baitfish are purchased at a bait shop and thrown into a bucket where they can swim and stay alive. They swim around waiting for the fisherman to use them as bait. The fisherman then tries to capture one for baiting his hook. Typically, he will use a small hand held net. The fisherman swirls the net in the bucket trying to capture only one baitfish. Inevitably, the fisherman grabs more than one and often has 4-7 fish in the net. The next trick is to try to grab one from the net and place it the fisherman's hand so that he can bait the hook. The problem is that the baitfish are small and they are not easily grabbed with fingers because they are wet and slimy. Additionally, because there are so many fish in the net, that it is difficult still to grab only one baitfish. Inevitably, one or two baitfish flip out of the net onto the ground and are wasted, thus requiring a fisherman to purchase far more baitfish than he actually uses. Additionally, the baitfish almost adhere themselves to the fine netting so that even if the fisherman's fingers grab one bait fish, in order to remove it out of the net, the fisherman must apply significant pressure to the fish through his fingers. The pressure often results in crushing or splitting the fish making the bait fish virtually worthless. In a last frustrated attempt to get the baitfish, the angler will try to invert the net and let the contents of the net fall into his hand. Often the angler gets multiple fish in his hand and must either return all the baitfish to the bucket and start the process again or throw away all but one of the bait fish. The routine described above consumes time that anglers often do not have. For instance, when crappies are running, many anglers try to fish several poles. If it takes too long to bait a hook, then when a crappie hits a line in the water, because the angler is baiting a hook, he cannot get to another pole to set the hook and reel the crappie in.
Another problem is that if the baitfish is bigger than the net, which is often the case with chubs and suckers, it is easy to net only one, but it is usually too big for the net and the fish all too easily escapes. There are also long term problems with the prior art. Because nets are typically made of a fine mesh to trap the baitfish but to let the water escape, the nets often get torn. Many times they tear while being place in or removed from a tackle box. Additionally the nets can get fouled or clogged by having small particles like algae, seaweed, or even fish scales get trapped in the openings of the net.
Another problem with the construction of the fishnets is that they are often made of steel. Steel, if left uncoated, rusts. If the steel is coated, it makes the net more expensive. Additionally, the assembly of the fish net, that is the cost of connecting the net to the handle raises, increases the unit production cost.